Six-pack abs not a parameter of health: Sidharth

Mumbai: Actor Sidharth Malhotra says it is a myth that getting six-pack abs, which is a fad in Bollywood, is healthy.

Often getting six-pack abs is seen as the most stylish thing. A lot of actors have developed it primarily due to their role.

"It is not that if you have six-pack abs then you will be the most healthy person. People go to extreme to get that kind of look, but then you lose weight and lose nutrition. The message is to stay healthy first, then comes fitness. Also, a workout should not bog you down," Sidharth said at the book launch of "Healthy Kitchen", penned by celebrity nutritionist Marika Johansson.

Sidharth, 30, feels kids should be taught to stay healthy at a young age, so that they understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy life.

"I read an article that said we would be the most obese country as we have most unhealthy people. It is sad. It should be mandatory to impart kids physical training in class or yoga or nutrition," he said.

"Kids should be taught how to stay fit at a young age. I was lucky to get into sports in school. One must encourage kids to stay healthy and fit," he further said. As a kid, the "Student Of The Year" actor was chubby but thanks to his participation in sports he stayed fit.

"At the age of 12-14 years, I started doing push-ups. I was a chubby child I was lucky enough to get into sports like Basketball, Rugby and modelling and this physical stuff... So fitness came naturally to me. Now I work out. I think you don't have to go to gym regularly... Go and play sports, pay attention to what you are eating," he said.

For his role in recently released "Brothers", Sidharth had to gain weight by having the right kind of diet. "The first thing where you fall short is diet. I have experienced it during "Brothers" as I had to put on 10-12 kilos. I took her (Marika Johansson) advice and she helped me a lot. She made very tasty diet food with nutritional value for me. There was variety of food so I did not get bored," the actor said.

"I believe, be careful with what you eat, whatever you are consuming. Your body is your temple... Not in literal terms. Take care and worship your body. The book is very helpful and it does benefit," he said.